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“Former Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore is to be involved in a new working group being set up by Bernie Ecclestone to looks at ways of making the sport more popular. Ecclestone met with team principals at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday morning and informed them that he plans to host a summit meeting over the next few weeks with a few outfits, plus Briatore, to consider ideas.”

“Lewis Hamilton will start the Hungarian GP from the pitlane after his Mercedes car suffered catastrophic damage when it was engulfed in flames at the start of qualifying. In another blow to his faltering title prospects, Hamilton’s Mercedes team have announced that, in addition to a change of gearbox and engine, Hamilton will use a new chassis for Sunday’s race – triggering a pitlane start alongside McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen.”

Rosberg: “It makes it easier, of course, because he is my competitor. It’s a free opportunity tomorrow. I need to play it safe and avoid any unnecessary things happening and get as many points as possible. Also I would prefer to be out there battling with Lewis, that would give me the maximum adrenaline rush. It won’t be a gloves-off battle with Lewis but I am still very, very happy.”

Bottas: “I think personally, in the drivers’ points, I think it would be good to aim to be third. I think it is possible this year with the car we have and if we keep improving like we’ve done so far, so that should be the aim.”

Alonso: “I always think it’s a fantastic result, P5. I don’t think that we could beat the guys in front. Probably if we go a little bit later with the track a little bit drier, we could do something, we could recover one-tenth or two-tenths – position four is six-tenths in front of me, so it doesn’t change too much.”

Comment of the day

After Lewis Hamilton suffered a mechanical failure in qualifying for the second weekend in succession, @DaveF1 echoes the thoughts of many who want to see the two championship contenders duelling it out on track…

As someone who’d prefer Nico to win the championship, these failures are really robbing the fans of better battles for the lead and even a better championship battle. Sure Lewis charging up the field in Germany was fun to watch but I’d much prefer more Bahrain-esque racing from the two Mercs and Rosberg winning the title through beating Hamilton on track rather than it being threw mechanical failures. However those constantly attacking Mercedes and Rosberg based on Hamilton’s failures really need to read what they type before the send it. Every driver has rotten luck, I don’t see people shouting conspiracy when it’s Maldonado or Vergne getting all the failures.@DaveF1

Do the teams, FiA and FOM ever ever read any of these comments on these fan forums?

Briatore, the man who wanted to half the race distance? Talk of Success ballast?Stop continually ruining the only sport I’m passionate about!! Just stop, we’re running out of energy here trying to cling on.

So…let’s bring in an ageing T-shirt salesman with all kinds of skulduggery in his CV – fuel nozzle fix, traction control, spygate hypocrisy, crashgate – and before you know it we’lll have The Show all sorted with cunning mid-season rule changes, selective safety car decisions….oh wait…

It’s another Not Working Group. The same old F1 insiders, team principals, bickering and vested interests. I wish the German court would reschedule its trial so Bernie can spend more of his time there.

Why don’t they talk to other motorsport bosses who are making a go of their series: WEC, Dubai 24h and other GT races, IMSA, DTM. They may have some silly rules too, but they’ll all have ideas about what to do with F1.

Fixing Formula one would be the easiest thing in the world.
1. Give the teams a larger and much more equal share of the money so they can all compete.
2. Make it more accessible.
However. this is like a hot potato for those who runs the sport because it goes against their financial interest which they put above the sport. Hence they think about all other stupid solutions to try to make it popular without sacrificing their own interests.

It is true what Lauda said the other day about the team principals being more recognizable than the drivers. I actually know who Toto Wolff is yet there was a driver being interviewed yesterday that I had no idea who he was. It is a real problem when the only driver with any real personality is one that constantly pouts when he is losing and spouts off about his teammates silver spoon when he is winning. Do we really need to see another picture of Wolff in his fake cast? F1 needs to take a serious look at what NASCAR is doing and not continue to head down their path. Maybe doing nothing is the real way to get F1 to be popular again. Let the fans get used to all the changes that have been made recently and just see what happens. I seriously think ending the refueling was the answer and it has been clouded by all the DRS, crap tires, double points nonsense. Like when making set-up changes on a car you change one thing and see what happens.

Lol, Toto’s cast is fake? The driver who is probably the best there has ever been in F1 at taking responsibility ‘pouts when he’s losing’? None of the others has any real personality? It’s somebody’s fault you don’t know all the drivers?

Bring back the SPORT in first plan ! Sport, real pure racing, drivers competing each other. No more gimmicks or artificial rules (DRS, double points). No more penalties (seems like it’s on its way, good thing). No more ingeneers telling drivers how to drive. No more Tilke ‘straight-hairpin-slow corner’ tracks.